My 5 favorite ways to enjoy Trader Joe's soy chorizo, the best vegetarian food at the chain

• Trader Joe's soy chorizo won best vegetarian/vegan item in the 2021 Customer Choice Awards.
• I made five recipes with the product and found out how versatile it really is.
• The chain's spicy soyrizo was a delicious addition to quesadillas, tacos, salads, and more.

Trader Joe's soy chorizo took the crown for the chain's best vegetarian/vegan item during this year's 12th Annual Customer Choice Awards.

Since this isn't the product's first win, I decided to test how versatile it really is by buying a few packs and making some classic chorizo dishes with a couple of interesting twists.

I tried five different recipes that made multiple servings and spent under $30, as this soyrizo is an affordable ingredient at $2.29 per package - a lot less than many other meat alternatives I've tried.

Read on for five great ways to prepare this meatless Trader Joe's staple.

Trader Joe's recipe for biscuits and soyrizo gravy was delicious, especially with the addition of a fried egg

I decided to first try the soyrizo by using the chain's own take on biscuits and gravy, as it seemed easy enough.

While I baked some store-bought biscuits in the oven, I cooked the soyrizo on the stove for about eight minutes, added some salsa and plant-based milk to it, and stirred the simmering mixture.

Once everything was individually prepped, I split open a biscuit, poured a generous helping of the soyrizo mixture on top, then added an over-medium fried egg.

The "gravy" was incredibly thick but still pretty tasty. And this meal didn't require much time or effort, but I enjoyed that it felt like a decadent brunch.

Adding milk to the gravy tamed the soyrizo's spiciness, but you can mix in more hot sauce or chile powder if you favor extra heat.

And although Trader Joe's recipe didn't call for the fried-egg topping, the meal's very flexible and would be delicious with a number of different additions, like crispy veggies, a heaping pile of cheese, or a hearty dollop of sour cream.

Adding Trader Joe's soyrizo to a quesadilla made it extra satisfying and left me full for hours

Next I tried a quick lunch recipe by bulking up a quesadilla with some soyrizo.

I cooked the key ingredient in a pan and added it to a blanket of cheese sandwiched between two tortillas, which I heated in a skillet until they were golden and the interior was melty.

And I loved, loved, loved this meal. It came together in no time, so it's perfect for a short lunch break.

The soyrizo added some protein to this simple dish, and I adored the combo of the melty cheese and spicy "meat." And on top of being delicious, the small quesadilla also left me stuffed thanks to the extra filling and protein.

Although I follow a vegetarian diet, I think this plant-based item is one of the most convincing alternatives I've tried in terms of both taste and texture.

I made a healthy soyrizo salad using whatever I had in the fridge and loved it

The soyrizo helped bulk up a large, lunchtime salad.

I added some pico de gallo, avocado, bell peppers, cheese, and cooked soyrizo to a bowl of spinach, then topped the combo with crushed Trader Joe's chili-and-lime tortilla rolls for some crunch and extra spice.

This option is a healthier way to enjoy the soyrizo and a quick, convenient lunch or dinner, as the ingredients can easily vary based on what you have available.

This time, I skipped adding dressing because the meal already had so many flavorful elements, and I was glad I did.

I'm generally not a huge fan of salads but am already looking forward to making this recipe again and again.

My Taco Tuesday dinner came together in less than 20 minutes

For Taco Tuesday, I cooked up a mixture of soyrizo, onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers in a skillet for about eight minutes until everything was browned, adding a bit of the chain's Elote Seasoning for extra flavor.

Then I simply moved this mix onto some warm tortillas along with pico de gallo and cheese.

I typically use black beans for my tacos, but the soyrizo was a spicy, delicious alternative that had a much meatier flavor and texture.

This recipe is another quick and customizable dinner option, as prepping the veggies, warming the tortillas, and cooking the mix only took about 20 minutes.

I made a quick and cheap soyrizo dip that would be the perfect snack or appetizer

I also wanted to try making a convenient appetizer or snack with the soyrizo and went for something along the lines of a nacho-cheese dip.

I found a dairy-free, cashew-based cheese spread at Trader Joe's, so I decided to mix this with some soyrizo.

The final product was creamy and spicy, and it went well with some chili-and-lime tortilla rolls and Elote corn-chip dippers, both from the grocery chain.

With these two ingredients, this dip is completely vegan but would still appease meat-eaters. You could also swap the plant-based nacho spread for cream cheese or the real stuff, and it'd still be a fun vegetarian option.

This appetizer was good on its own, but it could also serve as a base for a seven-layer dip or quesadilla filling.

These are just a few options, but I think the soyrizo would work great in many other recipes

This was my first time trying the Trader Joe's soyrizo and although these were my favorite ways to incorporate it into some of my regular meals, I could also see this product working in many other dishes.

It would make plant-based chili much heartier with its meaty texture or possibly be an excellent addition to a taco pizza.

One of the most interesting ways I can think of using this product is as a vegetarian or vegan sloppy-joe filling by mixing it with some tomato paste, garlic and onion powders, and a splash of anchovy-free Worcestershire sauce.

The possibilities are endless, and I'll be regularly adding this Trader Joe's customer-favorite staple to my cart from now on.

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